When you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, choosing a place to eat out can be a bit of a difficult task, especially if you’re visiting a new city for the first time. More often than not, you can find yourself in a restaurant where your only option is the bog-standard, freezer-to-fryer veggie burger – you know, the sort that’s clearly just been shoved on the menu to tick that ‘we cater for vegetarians’ box. Luckily, this doesn’t have to be the case, because Newcastle is home to a huge selection of vegan and veggie eateries – and we’ve put together a list of the coolest and yummiest spots:

Wildflower Creative Kitchen, at Kommunity

The wonderfully quirky Wildflower Creative Kitchen is an all-vegan, ‘art’ café-restaurant that changes its menu theme every 2-4 weeks – it’s been French, Peruvian, South Korean and loads more. From Kerelan fried chicken to tequila beer battered fish pieces, you can grab some scrummy vegan grub for only £7 for main courses and £10 for a 100% vegan afternoon tea. They even host the occasional supper club, which has had insanely cool themes like Middle Earth and Disney.

It’s set up at the unique venue Kommunity – an event space dedicated to art and culture experiences. So if you’re looking for somewhere original and creative, this is the place to be. Their kitchen is only open on Saturdays from 12-5pm, so be sure to check their website for availability before you head down.

Kommunity is on Market Street, a super central spot just off Newcastle’s famous Grey Street.

Little Green

If you’re looking for something particularly healthy, then look no further than Little Green. It’s an all-vegan café, bar and health food shop that serves incredibly nutritious and delicious food – it’s so healthy, in fact, that it even has its own resident nutritionist available to give you advice! Their lunchtime menu includes a variety of healthy bowls such as Dhalafels, ‘Zero Waste Seasonal Salad’, and Mac and ‘Cheeze’ (which has a cheesy-tasting sauce made from potatoes and carrots). In the evenings, they offer a more filling menu, with dishes like Hoisin Jackfruit Pot Stickers, Maple and Harissa Aubergines, and a yummy selection of pizzas. As for drinks, Little Green cater for your every mood - from protein drinks and smoothies… to coffees, cocktails and craft-ales.

You can find this wonderful little health spot on Newcastle’s quaint Pink Lane.

Grumpy Panda

This may just be one of the coolest vegan restaurants that we’ve ever seen – because it’s a one-of-a-kind, Vegan American Diner! It serves all your classic American favourites, like pancakes with ‘bacon’ and ‘eggs’, ‘rib’ dogs, Buffalo ‘wings’ and a mouth-watering selection of burgers – unbelievably, all of which are 100% plant-based. Even the restaurant itself looks incredibly cool with a unique trendy twist on typical diner aesthetics – everything’s black and white (yep, like a panda) with a few pieces of panda art dotted about.

This one isn’t actually in Newcastle, but it’s only a little walk across the bridge in Gateshead!

The Ship Inn

At first glance, The Ship Inn looks like any other traditional British pub and you’d expect it to serve nothing but pies and burgers. Shockingly, though, it has a vegan-only menu and is Newcastle’s only vegan pub. Food includes dishes such as King Pao Cauliflower, Refried Bean Quesadilla, Chilli Nachos, Thai Rice Noodles and even a one-option Sunday Lunch. They also host a Tapas night on Wednesdays, with a selection of tapas dishes priced at around £3.50. Drinks wise, it’s just like any other pub, so watch out for non-vegan drinks. And, like most pubs, it shows sports matches and has entertainments like live music.

You can find The Ship Inn at the bottom of Stepney Bank, a trendy area near the Ouseburn.

Hungry Vegan, at Stack

This one’s perfect if you want to grab a quick lunch while you’re busy exploring the city. It’s a small take-out café based in Stack, a stylish new social hub that’s home to a range of independent vendors. It has a huge selection of subs, all plant-based, with options like Piri Piri ‘Chicken’, Not Tuna Crunch, BLTs and Ploughman’s. Their cakes look delicious too, and they have a pretty good selection of cupcakes, brownies, tarts, and cake slices – great if you’re in need of a cake and a cuppa after too much shopping.

You won’t be able to miss this spot, because Stack is a huge group of shipping containers on Pilgrim Street, right in the middle of the city.

So, if hearing about these delicious veggie and vegan spots has made your mouth water, head to Newcastle to give them a try! Everywhere on the list is just a short walk away from Euro Hostels Newcastle, so why not book your stay today?